wrath of the Sea Queen (169 page)

"
C
a
eli, tell me about your gift.  Tell me what has happened since Sunday.  I need to understand if I'm going to be able to help you,
"
Vin kept her wrapped securely in his arms and encouraged her to talk to him, though not about the baby, not yet.

Though most of her
worry
c
a
me from guilt or grief,
C
a
eli
was right about one thing. 
She
needed guidance with her new skills.  Vin
had been
granted
the luxury of being trained by the best teachers in an ideal setting when his gift first manifest
ed
. 
Conversely,
C
a
eli's gift
came
to
her attention
under dire circumstances.  She was learning to use it on her own, her only guidance
came
from the events that
unfolded around her and
forc
ed
her hand.  Vin intended to help by offering her the benefit of
his
lessons.  Before he could do that,
he
needed to know what she
had
already discovered.

C
a
eli told him everything, whether it was related to her gift or not.  She explained what
transpired
on
both
flights, including Max's ability to see the angel.  She explained the overwhelming sensation
that surrounded her
when she was exposed to the
sea
water for too long or
when she was
overly tired.  Vin noted the correlation between these times and the times her eyes would turn blue, and mentioned it to her. 
Finally,
C
a
eli
told him
the little she knew
about Rika. 

Vin also shared, giving C
a
eli details about the rescue mission and events leading up to the hotel fire, his most recent injury, and knowing that she lost control of her gift at the end of the hotel incident.  After
the long overdue sharing
, they
were
all but
caught up on
the
trials
the other
had experienced during the last few days
. 

However, instead of telling Vin about the mysterious man in black, which was the most recent incident, C
a
eli asked him to
bring
her a glass of water. 
Once h
e ret
rieved
the drink
, s
he took a few sips, and then dipped her
fingertips
in
to
the glass.  C
a
eli reached up
slowly
and placed her wet fingers over the bruise
on the
side of
Vin's
head, holding them there and closing her eyes.

Vin
did not move as the
tingling sensation
began
.  Then, he re
called
how each attempt to heal someone
had
caused her a
similar
pain
.
C
a
eli opened her eyes in surprise
when
Vin
quickly snatched her hand away. 

"
What's wrong?
"

"
C
a
eli, does it hurt you to do that
; to
heal a wound?
"

"
Not that I've noticed.  Why do you ask?
"

Vin explained the strange coincidental injuries she
received each time she
helped someone.
  C
a
eli could not offer him any further insight.  She had not noticed the correlation.

"
Well
,
at least
you
can
understand
why I
can't let you fix me up if it means you are going to turn around and get clunked on the head,
"
Vin concluded.  Vin's stomach chose that moment to add its opinion, and C
a
eli smiled slightly.

"
Vin, I don't think it works like that
.  I do feel as if I have to find a balance
,
so
maybe
I am
unwittingly causing it.
 
I can't really say.  We could test it, now that I'm aware of it."  C
a
eli reached her hand toward Vin's temple once again.

"No, that's not good enough.  I
won't intentionally
risk any further injury to you
, especially
not
now
.  Let it heal on its own," Vin insisted.

"
Ok
.  If you don't mind, c
ould we continue this
conversation
a little later
?  I
a
m tired.  I
woul
d like to rest
, and
I think your stomach has other plans
for you
.
  Why don't you go get something to eat?
"

"
Of course you can rest, but I
a
m not leaving you alone.
  Can I help you
l
ie
down
?
"

"
Yes, please.  I can't seem to move two inches without causing some part of me to hurt.
"

"We can talk about how you got that way later," Vin
was
still missing one of the most important pieces of her story.
  He
had seen
the fight
through her eyes
, but there were
portions
of the event missing.
 
Yet
,
i
t could wait a little longer
.
  As
Vin
leaned over to help her move,
C
a
eli
offered one final
statement that
she
needed to make
before she
would be able
to sleep.

"
Vin, I'm sorry I was rude to you before. 
My mind was
,
i
s
,
so
jumbled
.  I know it's no excuse, but I am sorry.
"
 

"
Apology gladly accepted, but you know it's not
necessary.  I should have been more considerate of
what
you
'r
e
going through
.
"

Vin helped her get situated so that she was lying flat in the middle of the bed.  He pulled the comforter up over her, turned off the light beside the bed, and sat
there
holding her hand. 
Now that her mind was no longer spinning wildly,
C
a
eli
fell asleep right away, and Vin stayed beside her
.  Though her sleep was
uneasy and her body bruised, Vin agree
d
with Max
's un
wavering
description
.  Despite it all, C
a
eli looked pretty lying there.

Vin
's
longing for her
, at that moment,
seemed
highly inappropriate
. 
S
he had been through a terrible
trauma
.  Not to mention, C
a
eli was badly hurt and
, according to Salma, could
not even attempt to use her gift for her own benefit.  Yet
,
Vin
had
a strong desire to be close to her.  He
wasn't even considering acting on his feeling, but he
could
n
o
t understand why there seemed to be such a sense of urgency
surrounding the emotion
coursing
through him
.  Perhaps it was nothing more than his desire to show C
a
eli that she meant everything to him
.  She was the center of
his
world.  P
ulling away from him was the last thing
Vin
ever want
ed
her to do. 

Though s
till struggling with
his
feelings
, Vin knew that if he didn't get something to eat,
the loud growling of
his stomach
would
soon
disturb C
a
eli's rest.